The Sarnia Sting head to Saginaw on Thursday night for game one of their first round OHL playoff series with the Spirit.
Ethan Langevin is expected to get the start for the Sting in the opener. The two teams split the season series with three wins each.
Sarnia finished 7th place in the Western Conference with 63 points while the Spirit placed 2nd with 96 points, just three back of first place London.
Sting Head Coach Derian Hatcher said establishing a fore-check will be key in the series.
"We're going to want to play fast and, with that said, we will finish our hits," said Hatcher. "We will be in our their defence. We know that they turn the puck over when you get in on them. For me, the key to the series is how much we get in on the fore-check and be physical on their defencemen and force them to turn the puck over."
Forward Sean Josling's status is unknown heading into the playoffs. He left with an apparent leg injury in Sunday's final game of the regular season and did not return.
During the regular season, Hugo Leufvenius led the way for the Sting with 37 goals and 81 points. Captain Ryan McGregor finished with 77 points, including a team-high 52 assists. Jacob Perreault reached 30 goals and 55 points to finish 4th in rookie points.
Rookie point leader Cole Perfetti will be a key player for the Spirit. He led the team with 37 goals and 74 points on the year. Owen Tippett and Ryan McLeod will also be relied heavily upon. Both of them were acquired from Mississauga before the trade deadline and have put up solid numbers in a Spirit uniform.
Game 2 of the series is in Saginaw Saturday with games three and four at Progressive Auto Sales Arena next Tuesday and Thursday.
As always, you can hear all of the action on 103.9FM and 1070AM CHOK.
